Diezani Sues AGF, EFCC For Alleged Libel, Demands N100bn In Damages

Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, has filed a libel suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) demanding to be paid damages of N100 billion over claims that she is corrupt.

In a write of summons filed on her behalf at a federal high court sitting in Abuja by a team of lawyers led by Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate, on May 26, 2023 and seen by TheCable, Alison-Madueke also demanded that the EFCC and the AGF should be compelled to apologise to her in three national newspapers “for the false, injurious, malicious and libelous publications” against her since 2015 when she left the country.

She listed statements and publications issued by the EFCC which she said were intended to lower her reputation and integrity and which she said did indeed lower her reputation and integrity “in the estimation of right-thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria” and also brought her into “public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy”.

The defamatory reports, as she claimed in the suit marked CV/6273/2023, are:

A publication on December 16, 2021, “Diezani: EFCC uncovers additional $72.8 million in Bank”

A publication on August 8, 2017, “Unbelievable!!! EFCC traces N47.2 Billion, $487.5 Million to ex-Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke”